


If I'm Not Allowed a Cat

by Yumitheboring



Category: DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Blood, One Shot, POV Tim Drake, Tim Drake Needs a Break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24697621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yumitheboring/pseuds/Yumitheboring
Summary: Tim is just really tired and somehow ends up adopting a few new friends.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 63





	If I'm Not Allowed a Cat

Tim always wanted to adopt his very own pet. However, with his lifestyle, that dream was almost impossible to fulfill. Not that Tim hasn’t tried to. He did try during his Robin days, but at the time, Alfred refused to let him keep the stray cat.

And then Damian came around, adopting pet after pet. It made Tim unbearably jealous. How come he was allowed to get pets and Tim wasn’t? It was unfair. 

Thus, he became a little salty and decided to work on his own for a while. Which wasn’t a great choice, considering he already had too much on his plate with working at WE and the dry cases he was trying to solve. But, it also allowed him to work more than usual. You see, usually when another Bat works with him, they force him to take breaks and think it’s their personal duty to manage his sleep cycle. Now, without anyone on his back, he could get a whole lot more done. 

A curse and a blessing. Not that Tim would ever admit that. It’s just that, Tim got tired. A lot. To the point where he would fall asleep in… unceremonious situations. 

For example, right now, Tim woke up from resting his eyes mid grapple swing, and due to a slight miscalculation, he was seconds away from falling into a garbage container. Not enough time to swing back up again, but enough to reposition and not fall face forward. 

See, he could still handle himself even when he was sleep deprived. 

A dampened sound of clatter later, Tim lay there unmoving for a while, collecting energy to stand up and continue his patrol. The smell was awful and he wanted to get out of the container as soon as possible. It smelled like rotten food, vomit and… blood? 

Tim petted down his body, sitting up now. He didn’t find any wet spots on his suit though. Huh. Guess it wasn’t his then. Time to get up then. 

Or not.

His vision blurred slightly when he tried to get up and dizziness hit him like a train. Oh no. Did his head scrape on something sharp during his landing-roll? 

Indeed, when inspected more closely, there was a slight warm liquid flowing down in his face. At least it wasn’t vomit or feces. Stay positive, that’s what Dick always says. 

Tim’s eyes were starting to feel heavy. He really wanted to lay down for five minutes. Just five, that would be enough, then he could get up and… make a pit stop at one of his safe houses… a little longer… 

Squeak. 

What?

Tim’s mind decided to wake up, wide awake as soon as he heard a potential threat. It might not have been loud, but you shouldn’t judge a dog’s bite by its bark. Or it’s size for that matter. Seriously where was the sound coming from? He couldn’t see anything other than garbage. 

Search for movement Tim, he told himself, as he looked down, focusing intently. Follow the sounds. 

It sounded so fragile. He removed a trash bag from where he heard the noise. 

Three ruffled fur balls were underneath. Rats? Tim huffed a surprised laugh. Of course it was rats, what did he expect? A bomb that squeaked instead of ticking? Although this was Gotham so who really knew. Only a few weeks ago the Joker planted ten bombs hidden in music boxes that exploded once the song was finished. No casualties thankfully, but it was a close call. 

But that’s not important right now, there were more pressing issues like the fact that Tim had a head injury, possibly infected, and considering he had no spleen, that was a scary thought. Once he got home he would check immediately. 

Though the rats were certainly, concerningly tiny. Pups maybe, where was their mother? Tim wasn’t sure how long rats stayed with their mother, but these pups, while already having fur, were dangerously thin. Were they sick? The former Robin couldn’t in good conscience leave them out here. He had an empty compartment in his belt, so why not take them along and take care of them until they get better. He owed them at least that much for keeping him awake. 

Tim scooped them up ever so gently, only earning a few worried whines. 

In the matter of a few minutes, he arrived at his safe house and pulled out a carton box from under his bed, along with a lamp that emitted enough warmth. He sat up the small „coop“, adding a pillow as a final touch. 

Once the rats were laid down safely, Tim sat down to clean his wound. What do rats eat, he wondered. Not that he’d keep them for long. Of course not, there wasn’t enough time for that. Just until they were healthy again. 

___

Three month had passed, and while the pups were now big and strong, Tim always found another excuse to keep them for just a little while longer. 

He has already set up a tube system for the rats, so they could move around more. It would be a waste to not let them enjoy it briefly. It had cost too much time and effort for Tim to just end up throwing it all away in the end. No, that wouldn’t do. 

It would also be a great time to research the animals’ behavior, who knew if a new villain, half-rat, would show up in Gotham. They already practically had a zoo with all the animal-themed or genetically manipulated criminals.

And now with Bane out of Arkham again, it would be unsafe to let the rats run around outside, right? Who new if the man started to test out his steroids on animals, for example rats.

Tim decided to keep the rodents until they caught the maniac. 

And who would be the wiser if Tim just chose to forget about that promise when they did end up catching him in less than a week, and simply let his new pets keep him company through Tim’s journey though life?

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are much appreciated, they keep me going!  
> Let me know what you think :)


End file.
